Air-valve attachment.



RUZICKAKL'D, L. (SRfiflJTiIARiiv AIR VALVE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1916.

mm u 7, 1917.

WITNESSES EUZEGIKA AND DAVID L. GRANTHAM, OF LANKIN, NORTH DAKOTEAIE-VALVE ATTACHMENT.

Application filed November 10,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JEROME RUZICKA and DAVID L. GRANTHAM, both citizensof the United States, and residents of Lankin, in the county of Dakota,have invented a new and Improved Air-Valve Attachment of which thefollowing is a full, clear and exact description.

Our invention relates to a dust cap adapted to be applied to an airvalve, and is more particularly intended for use on the air valves ofpneumatic tires.

The prime object of the invention is to provide a dust cap and aco-actingelement so vformed and arranged that the dust cap may bequickly engaged with the threads of the air valve or disengagedtherefrom, thereby avoiding the necessity of screwing the cap anymaterial distance on the valve in. applying and removing the cap. Thestated object is attained by a cap having a threaded interior and maderesilient at the threaded portion to expand and contract, there being anut applicable to the threaded stem of the i valve and formed with aflaring surface to receive the resilient end of the cap, so that the capmay he slipped onto the valve stem to contact with the nut and thengiven one two turns to cause the resilient threaded portion of the capto firmly hind on the threads of the stem l he invention will beparticularly explained in the specific description following.

Rererence is to he had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification in which similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of our improved valve cap and thesecuring means therefor, showing the cap applied. to the valve stem butin the unfastened position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the cap firmly engagingstein;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of the valve e;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectign oi the valve cap and a modified. formof the securing means.

In the illustration, the letter A indicates the stern of a known formervalve having threads a; B represents a; portion of a wheel Specificationof Letters Patent.

"Valsh and State of North cap 11, a! nut the valve Patented Aug "3,1191i.

1916. Serial no. 120,550.

felly. The element indicated by the letter C may represent a washer orlockout.

In carrying out our invention, a nut 10 is provided adapted to engagethe threads (1 of the stem A. The cap 11 is generally of doriie-shape.At the forward open end of the cap 11, the same is formed with internal"threads 12 corresponding with the threads a of the valve stem, and saidcap is formed with longitudinal slots 13 extending across the thPeadsUlQso that the forward end of the cap is made resilient.

The face of the nut 10 is formed witha depression 1 ihaving a beveledouter wall against which the forward edge 15 of the moods adapted tocome to a bearing, said edge being preferably in the form of a head. Thecap 11 is adapted to he slipped over the end of the valve stem A with asliding movement until the forward edge 15 contacts with the flaringWall of the nut 10 Which deflects the resilient members of the capinwardly, thereby bringing the threads 12 of the cap into engagementwith the threads at of the valve stem, whereupon a turn or two of thecap will cause the threaded portion thereof to bind tightly on the valvestem by reason of the beveled surface of the depression 1%. Similarly,to remove the cap a turn or two is necessary only to allow clearance forthe resilient forward end of the cap to expand and become disengagedfrom the threads of the stem, whereupon the cap can be quickly withdrawnby a sliding movement relatively to the stem.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the nut 10 has a threaded borecorresponding with a valve stem of large diameter. in orderto adapt theattachment to a small valve stem without varying the size of the isprovided as in Fig. 5 boss 16 formed with exsaid nut having a to engagethe threads 12 ternal threads 17 of the cap and formed with internalthreads 18 to engage the threads ofthe valve stem. The nut 10 has a thecap 11 has the described slots 13 so that when the nut 10 is applied toa small valve stem, the manner of securing and detachin the cap will hethe same as shove describe The resiliency of the cap maintains thethreaded open end thereof expanded and the flexing face of the nutoonstricts the resilient portion of the cap to an extent a proximatelyequahiing the depth of the inreads' of the cap," so t. at in theexpanded form the flaring depression 14 and claim as new and cap can beslipped onto the ezalve until the flaring face of the nut is engaged,whereupon the resilient portion will be constricted approximately to thedepth of the threads to first effect threaded engagement with the stem.

It will be observed that the threaded resilient front portion of the capis deflected inwardly to a diameter less than that of the upper closedportion of the tap whereby to provide a considerable threaded area whichwill always be approximately parallel with the threaded valve stem whilethe closed portion of the cap has ample clearance and accommodation forthe outer end of the valve stem.

Having thus described our invention we desire to secure by LettersPatent: e

1. A cap for air valves formed with internal threads at the open endthereof and longitudinally slotted at the said open end,

' and compressing means for said cap securable to a valve stem to engagethe forward edge of the cap and compress the slotted portion toconstrict its threaded portion.

2. A cap for air valves, the same being longitudinally slotted at theopen end and internally threaded at the said slotted end,

and a nut adapted to be secured on the stem,

with a nut having a boss and internally I threaded to engage a valvestem, the boss being externally threaded to correspond with the threadsof the cap, the said threaded port-ion of the cap being resilient andnormally expanded to a diameter to slidably receive the boss, the saidnut outside of the boss having a flaring face adapted to engage thefront end of the cap and constrict' the same to a diameter to engage andbind upon the threaded exterior of the boss. v

4. A cap for air valves, longitudinally slotted at the open end andinternally threaded at said open end, the threaded portion beingconstricted to present a less diameter than the unthreaded portion, anda nut adapted to engage a Valve stem, said nut having a depressed outerface presenting a flaring surface to engage the forward edge of the cap.

JEROME RUZICKA.

DAVID L. GRANTHAM.

